Subitem automations: Make them reference a different line item

Platform discussions Special workflows & use cases
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1

My team has phases of a project that are setup as subitems. We want to upload a file to Phase A and have that trigger the time tracking column for Phase B to start. Then when a file is uploaded to Phase B, its time tracker can stop and Phase 3 can start. Nothing I can find will let me reference a different subitem. Is there something I’m missing or does anyone know of a Marketplace app that will solve this?

2

There seems to be no native way to work this in the subitem from one row to another. Search for “subitem automations” in the marketplace. There are several apps to choose from that might work for you.

3

Monday.com’s native automation doesn’t allow referencing sibling subitems directly (like triggering actions in Phase B from activity in Phase A). But you have a couple of workarounds, and yes — some Marketplace apps or custom integrations (via Make/Integromat or Zapier) can handle this.

Here’s the deal:

:cross_mark: What doesn’t work natively:

  • You can’t set automations that directly say “when something happens in Subitem A, do something in Subitem B.”
  • Subitems are siloed; Monday treats them more like mini-items without cross-subitem referencing.

:white_check_mark: Your options:

Option 1: Use Make or Zapier

These tools let you set up advanced workflows, such as:

  • Trigger: File uploaded to subitem Phase A
  • Action:
    • Start the time tracking column in Phase B
    • Optionally, stop tracking in Phase A
    • Move to next subitem or send notifications

Why it works: You can use these tools to query the parent item, fetch all subitems, and then apply logic like “if Phase A, then Phase B is next.”

Let me know if you’d like a sample Make/Zapier flow for this — I can help draft it out.

Option 2: Use a 3rd-party app

Check out apps like:

  • General Caster: Great for logic/automation extensions.
  • VLOOKUP by JetBridge: Allows referencing and syncing between items/subitems.
  • Kola AI or Flowsana might help if you’re using a more automated process flow.

You can find these in the Monday.com Apps Marketplace.

Option 3: Change your structure

If this gets too complex, consider flattening your phases into main items (instead of subitems). Monday’s automations are much more powerful on main items, allowing item-to-item dependencies.

Let me know if you need any help or leave a like if this did help.